


what is a ruby worth

by whatisapseud (mikeyfangirl811)



Series: discord series (will i even make more?) [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Blood, Clay | Dream Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Drabble, Gen, How Do I Tag, Hurt Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Mild Blood, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Wordcount: 500-1.000, if you posted in the angst chat i read it, inspired by a discord server, trust me - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:20:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29804886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikeyfangirl811/pseuds/whatisapseud
Summary: Dream's blood isn't normal. It hardens into transparent, polished rubies, and it scares him. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to concern anyone else beyond how much it can sell for.-this au doesn't belong to me it belongs to someone from a discord server im just trying to remember what the messages were so this isn't going to be totally accurate from the conversation ok ok
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: discord series (will i even make more?) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2190825
Comments: 17
Kudos: 168





	what is a ruby worth

**Author's Note:**

> here we go boys

The first time it happens, the glittering crumb means little. Maybe he is too young to comprehend.

  
He is six years old.

  
He's in the kitchen with his mother, her peeling apples for a dessert he can't recall, him watching with a childish need for inclusion. He vividly remembers asking to peel an apple, and she hands him the knife with a smile. She adjusts his smaller fingers as they eagerly clutch a half-peeled apple in the right, a blade in the left. She lets him slice a thin, uneven shred of skin off the apple before leaving to wash more. He's excited by his new ability.

  
In his excitement, the knife goes too far, nicking his index finger. He mutters out an 'ow' and sticks his finger in his mouth, sucking the smudge of scarlet off.

  
He nearly chokes on a pebble that he swears he didn't have in his mouth a moment ago.

  
It's gleaming and petite, small enough to balance on the nail of his pinky. His mother returns to find her son intently eying a ruby in his palm. He shows her, confused.

She's upset. She thinks he stole it. He _knows_ it's his though, but he says nothing. He pretends he found it outside earlier in the grass.

The gem sells for a pretty penny, and his family is well-fed and well-dressed on the money it brings.

The joy of it doesn't last.

-

The next time it happens, he realizes. 

It's a month or so after the first incident.

He's running through his village, racing a child he's long since forgotten the name of. He doesn't notice a stone jutting awkwardly from the path, and his ankle twists over it. He yelps, throwing his hands out to catch himself. They don't hit the stone before his left knee though. It grates on the ground, immediately drawing blood. It's not deep enough to garner an outcry, but he does panic as the blood seems to congeal, clumping and becoming semi-transparent as it hardens faster than should be possible.

He knows this isn't right. The moment the liquid drips from the wound, it becomes a polished and red-tinted gem. The child he was with has left- he isn't sure when they did. He dusts his shorts off, limping strangely to not make the scrape bleed too much. He hurries back to his house, slipping inside and seeking his mother- his father wasn't much for sympathy. 

He stops, crouching, and gathers the rubies in his hand, fist curling around them. 

He finds his mother drinking a glass of water on the porch. He holds out his rocks and gestures at his leg, explaining. 

She's horrified- or at least, she seems to be. 

There's something in her expression- it's akin to an inventor testing a new prototype. A bit of fear, shadowed by anticipation. She takes the rubies, not bothering to help him tie up his knee. 

The next few days pass in discomfort. His parents whisper about him. They don't speak to him. They depart without a word and return with silence. 

One day, his mother takes him to a different city- this one teeming with people wearing clothes more expensive than his whole closet. She leads him to a dauntingly tall castle-like house. They're greeted by a tall, intimidating man who speaks in hushed words to his mother. He doesn't register their conversation until the stranger pulls out a switchblade and slices the back of Dream's hand. Dream screeches indignantly, cradling his hand as gems tumble through his hand and clatter on the floor, a harsh contrast with the pale marble. The man grabs one, investigating it (that's his _blood_ ) before returning to the conversation without a pause. 

Dream decides he doesn't like this man.

He impatiently waits to go home.

It's not long until the chatter slows and his mother prepares to leave.

He follows her, but she grabs his shoulder to stop him. She crouches and begins to speak- some fabrication of "it's for the best" and "I'm sorry". He tears up, sniffling and hiccoughing desperately, but she pats him, says a final "I love you" and disappears.

Dream hasn't seen her since.

-


End file.
